The invention referred to is a container with handle whose special shape facilitates use as a receptacle for storage and transport of liquids with the possibility of drinking the contents directly from the container. In terms of shape and functional characteristics this container with handle belongs to the group of solid and semisolid storage containers made in one piece and drinking vessels as a part of tableware. As regards functional features and shape, this container with handle may equally serve as a bottle for storing liquids or a container from which to drink the stored liquid.
According to the International Patent Classification this invention can be grouped within the following technical fields:
B65D-001/02xe2x80x94Bottles or similar containers with necks or similar narrowed openings for pouring out the liquid;
A47G-019/22xe2x80x94Drinking vessels or saucers as part of tableware;
B65D-023/10xe2x80x94Handles of bottles or other glass containers.
Modern solid or semisolid storage containers like bottles predominantly serve for storage and transport of liquids. As the primary purpose of these containers is to store and transport liquids, the container mouth diameter is small in relation to the mean diameter of the cross-section of the container body. Containers of this kind sometimes feature handles or a part of the container body specifically designed to enable easier holding and handling of the container. Such packaging containers are not meant to be used for consuming their contents directly from the container whose mouth primarily serves for filling and pouring out liquids.
Contemporary drinking vessels such as glasses, jugs, mugs, tumblers, cups and the like are generally used as containers in which liquids are poured and then consumed by drinking. The mouth diameter of such vessels is therefore equal to or larger than the average diameter of the cross-section of the vessel body. Some vessels of this kind sometimes also feature handles or a part of the body specifically designed to enable easier hold and handling. These vessels primarily serve for consuming liquids through drinking, while storage and transport is their secondary purpose.
Storage and transport of liquids and their consumption, being activities which closely follow each other, brought about the development of two different types of product with exclusive function. There are only few examples of storage containers whose design makes them suitable also for drinking from. Such containers as a rule have a narrow area of application for a particular kind of liquid or paste-like foods. As storage containers they are disposable and as drinking vessels can only be used for a limited period of time. Being non-returnable, non-reusable storage containers, with extended life when used as a drinking vessels, they are usually made of low-cost materials and have poor formal and aesthetic qualities.
The invention of this specific kind of container with handle provides a solution to the technical problem of producing an attractive product that serves the double purpose of a low-cost, durable container for storage and transport of liquids, which is also returnable, and a practical, durable vessel for consuming the contents.
To be found on the market today are various designs of such two-purpose containers. Such articles are generally produced in series in very large quantities and are usually made of glass or polymeric materials, with their design allowing only a limited area of application. These are normally drinking vessels resembling glasses, jugs, mugs or cups in which a particular kind of food or drink is packaged. They serve as disposable storage containers with a short-term use as cheap drinking vessels.
Described in patent DE 4130320 is a polymeric drink container for cyclists that is fixed to the bicycle by being stuck up to the bicycle frame. The container body is designed in such a way as to enable easy fixing and picking up of the container from the bicycle frame by one hand. The container is filled through the opening after removing the lid and the content is consumed through a straw that comes out of the container lid. The said container has a very narrow field of application. It cannot be manufactured in very large series and is not suitable as a reusable product in the food beverages and brewing industry.
Described in patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,231 is a polymeric container intended for older people that is used both for storing drinks and as a drinking vessel. The container has a cylindrical body with an opening for handling the container and another opening through which drinks are filled and poured out. The container is provided with a screw cap. Owing to a relatively large opening, the liquid can be consumed directly from the container. Poor aesthetic qualities have, however, prevented wider application of this container as a reusable article widely used in the food and beverages industry.
The container according to this invention provides a solution to the technical problem of developing an attractive, simple and cost-efficient product that serves the multiple function of a container for storing, transporting and consuming drinks. The basic shape of the container is that of a small barrel in one piece with a handle, resembling drinking vessels for beer, wine fruit juices and other drinks. The container features a relatively large mouth with two possibilities of closingxe2x80x94with a disposable top without a screw or a reusable screw cap. The disposable top that is turned over the outer rim of the container mouth is opened by lifting or tearing up. The opening and closing of the container by means of a reusable cap is performed by screwing and unscrewing of the top from the threads that are wrought on the inside of the container mouth.